There's not much playoff experience left

Dan Marino's 16 postseason starts are more than the combined starts of the other quarterbacks remaining in the playoffs.

Jacksonville's Mark Brunell is second with six. Brad Johnson and Jeff George have two each, Steve McNair has one (Saturday) and Peyton Manning, Kurt Warner and Shaun King will be making their first starts.

Guess what?

The teams quarterbacked by Manning, Warner and King are heavy favorites this week as the Super Bowl sweepstakes move to the second round.

Miami at Jacksonville Jacksonville's only losses this year were to Tennessee, and they would have played the Titans if Seattle had beaten Miami. So while the Dolphins played Sunday as they had in their 7-1 start and not their 2-6 finish, this matchup would seem to be a relief for the Jaguars.

But Jacksonville has lost Tony Boselli, and Brunell will play with a bad knee, meaning he won't be as mobile as usual behind an offensive line that's without the NFL's best tackle. Miami's defense, seemingly worn down during the waning weeks of the regular season, had six sacks in Seattle on Sunday and held the Seahawks to just 171 yards, 32 in the second half.

That makes Fred Taylor, he of the hamstring problems, the most important Jaguar. Without Boselli, he'll have to work harder. But if he succeeds, he can keep the pressure off Brunell long enough for him to find Keenan McCardell and Jimmy Smith.

The Miami offense will run and run and run - it even ran Sunday on a couple of third-and-5s. It ran so much it ended up giving Marino time to make three big plays on the winning drive.

How to sort this out? The best line on the game comes from the oddsmakers, who because of Jacksonville's injuries have no line.

Washington at Tampa Bay The Redskins probably will be without Stephen Davis, the NFC's leading rusher, as well as two starting offensive linemen - left tackle Andy Heck and center Cory Raymer. They could lose a third if the NFL suspends Tre Johnson for striking an official during a second-half melee in the Skins' easy victory against Detroit on Saturday.

That doesn't bode well against what might be the league's best defense, particularly after a restful bye week. King, Tampa Bay's rookie quarterback, is probably too green to carry the Bucs to the Super Bowl, but the defense should tear up the Redskins' backup offensive linemen.

If Davis can play, it's another story. But if he plays at all, he'll be limping.

Advantage Bucs.

Minnesota at St. Louis The Rams won by an average of 25 points a game this season at home, albeit against mediocre to poor opposition.

The Vikings are neither mediocre nor poor. They have the weapons to take advantage of a St. Louis secondary that may be overrated - Todd Lyght is going to the Pro Bowl, but a lot of teams picked on him this season.

One more advantage for Minnesota is George. He's had 10 bumpy years of NFL experience, although Sunday's win against Dallas was just his second playoff game. Warner had a fairy tale season and was the league's most valuable player. But playoff pressure is something else. (See Marino over Jon Kitna in Seattle.)

Still, it's difficult to see the Rams slipping, particularly at home. If the offenses are equal, the Rams have the better defense and their special teams have been a weapon all season.

Advantage to the Rams in a game where the over-under is a monstrous 52.

Tennessee at Indianapolis As its record shows, Tennessee isn't a typical wild-card team. On the other hand, the Titans would be packing their bags if not for one freak play.

The Colts are missing Cornelius Bennett, the glue to the defense all season. That puts a bigger load on Chad Bratzke.

But the Titans can't play this game as they did the Bills - McNair has to throw against an average secondary and he has to scramble. Manning and friends will score, even against the good Tennessee defense, and the Titans will have to stay with them.

There's also the Jevon Kearse factor. He was responsible for nine points against the Bills, making up for a conservative game plan on offense. Manning has a quick release and plays like he's 30, not 23. But it's his first playoff game too.